Furniture leg shoe



Jan. 11, 1949. R. E. MILLER FURNITURE LEG SHOE Filed Jan. 20} 1948 "FIG.5.

0 INVENTOR.

ROBERT E. MILLER ATToBNEY.

Patented Jan. 11, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FURNITURE LEG SHOE Robert Ellis Miller, Bronxville, NY.

Application January 20, 1948, Serial No. 3,289

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to appliances attachable to the legs of furniture, whereby the furniture becomes readily and noiselessly movable, and more particularly, to a furniture leg shoe of the glide type, that is, one in which the floor engaging portion is in the form of a smooth glide or cap adapted to slide over a floor on which the shoe rests.

In devices of this type as heretofore constructed, it has usually been necessary to use tools for attaching the shoes to the furniture leg, or, where the attachment could be effected without tools, the shoe could not be securely attached to the furniture leg, so that it became readily detached therefrom. In particular, where the furniture leg was in the form of a tube there has been great difliculty in maintaining the shoes in place because the attaching portions thereof made so that they enter the tube are also readily withdrawn therefrom. 2

Among the objects of my invention is the provision of a furniture leg shoe of the glide type that may be attached to a furniture leg without the use of tools.

A further object of my invention is the provision, in a furniture leg shoe of the glide type, of a construction that, while providing for a firm attachment, also permits of alimited angling and lateral movement of the shoe in relation to the furniture leg.

Among the objects of my invention is also the provision of a construction in a furniture leg shoe of the glide type, that, besides its other advantages, permits of the attachment of the shoe to the side walls of tubular furniture legs.

The general object of my invention is the provision of a simple and economical furniture leg shoe of the glide type which is readily and inseparably attachable to the furniture.

These objects and such other objects as will hereinafter appear or be pointed out are attained in the illustrative embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side view of the three parts making up the improved cushion slide in side-by-sideor disassembled;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the cushion slide with the three parts in assembled or cooperative relationship;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through the lower part or tip portion of a hollow furniture leg with the improved cushion slide secured thereto; Fig. 3a is an enlarged detail, in section, of the securement of the cushion slide to the wall of the hollow leg;

Fig. 4 shows a hollow furniture leg, most of which is cut away to reveal the interior, the securement part of the improved cushion slide being formed integrally with the walls of the tubular leg; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, with the tubular leg and the securement part of the improved cushion slide in section, the latter being secured to the tubular leg in a manner slightly different from that shown in previous figures.

The improved cushion slide comprises essentially two parts, viz., .a rubber plug l0 and a securement part 2|]. The metal, cap piece 30, which is cup shaped, Fig. 3, instead of being considered a third part, Fig. 1, may be viewed together with the plug ID to which it is secured by fitting the inwardly-turned lip 3|, Fig. 3 of the cap piece 30 into an annular groove H of the resilient rubber plug ID. The securement part 20, to which the rubber plug l0 is secured and which in turn is secured to the hollow furniture leg, comprises in the form shown in Figs. l-Bd separately formed metal plate 2| which is shaped and dimensioned for securement to the tubular furniture leg. The plate 2| may be received within the hollow of the furniture leg, as in Fig. 3 where the plate 2| is somewhat less in dimension than the inside dimensions of the leg walls 9. Plate 2| may be secured within leg walls 9 as by welding, soldering or the like, indicated at ZI Fig. 3. Or the plate 2|, Fig. 3a, maybe disposed outwardly of the tip edge 9 of leg wall 9 and in abutment therewith; in this case securement to the wall is made by soldering, welding or the like, .at point 2|.

Plate 2| has a centrally disposed circular opening 22, Fig. 3, which is surrounded by a tapered bushing 23. As best seen in Fig. 3, tapered bushing 23 has a truncated conical portion 24 and a short cylindrical portion 25. The rubber plug l0 has a lower cylindrical portion l5 and av cone head I2 which is recessed at its lower wider base to provide an annular shoulder I3. The cylindrical portion [5 and cone head IZ-are separated by an intermediate connecting neck portion it. As best seen in Fig. 3, the intermediate portion Hi is comprised in turn of an inner cylindersection l6 and an outer conical portion I6 There is thus provided an annular space M between the portion l2 and I5 of the rubber plug.

Cone head l2 of the rubber plug is inserted through opening 22 of the securement member, the rubber conical head. compressing sufiiciently to permit its clearance through. the restricted end of the tapered bushing 23. To further favorthis compression the rubber plug may be provided with a central bore I! for clearance for the compressed rubber. The annular shoulder l3 at the lower wider end of cone head l2 snaps over the upper edge of the tapered bushing 23 to efiectively prevent withdrawal of the plug from the securement part 20.

It will be noted, best from Fig. 3, that the cylindrical portion I5 of the rubber plug is considerably wider longitudinally of the plug than the cylindrical portion 25 of the tapered bushing 23, and that when the parts are assembled as in Fig. 3, the cylindrical portion 25 of the tapered bushing is disposed at the upper portion of cylindrical portion l of the rubber plug. When the furniture and live load is transmitted through leg 9 to securement part 20, the tapered bushing 23 thereof moves downwardly a slight extent relative to cylindrical portion of the rubber plug. The annular recess 14 between the recessed intermediate portion l6 of the rubber plug and the truncated conical portion 24 of the tapered bushing permits this lowering of the bushing and furniture leg relative to the plug. But the parts are designed so that this downward movement of the securement part (and the furniture leg) relative to the plug will be limited and will not be proportionate to the load imposed. This is achieved by causing the load itself to restrict further relative motion between the rubber plug and the tapered bushing. It will be observed from Fig. 3 that the juncture of the short cylindrical portion of the tapered bushing and the truncated portion 24 thereof is disposed at the upper corner of the cylindrical portion [5 of the rubber plug, this point being designated 5. Hence when the tapered bushing 23 seeks to move downwardly under load, the cylindrical portion l5 of the rubber plug is placed under compression which causes the rubber to spread or expand outwardly, thus creating frictional binding between the tapered bushing and the rubber plug, which increases with load and is effective to prevent relative movement between the two, and particularly to prevent angular displacement of the plug relative to the bushing, which might otherwise occur when the leg (i. e., the furniture) is tilted. Additionally, the engagement of the cylindrical portions of the tapered bushing and of the rubber plug also contributes to prevent displacement of the plug due to tilting.

In Fig. 5 the plate (2|) of the securement part 20 is omitted and the tapered bushing 23 secured directly to the inside of the tubular leg 9, as by welding, soldering or otherwise securing its cylindrical portion 25 thereto. In Fig. 4 the tapered bushing 3 is formed integrally with the wall 8 of the tubular leg. Leg wall 8 is turned inwardly, at I, and unites with the tapered bushing 3 thereof at the circular opening 2. v

The following observations will be made of the plug l2 and the bushing which cooperates therewith: The plug is made integrally of material such as rubber which has the characteristics of being resiliently compressible and distortable; it can be secured to the bushing by manually entering its cone shaped head therein without requiring the use of any tools; when so secured it is inseparably engaged with the bushing; it dispenses entirely with the use of screws, nails and the like; the height (the vertical thickness) of the neck portion I6 is less than that of the bushing so that the top edge of the cylindrical portion l5 of the plug l 0 will be located slightly below the junction of the bushing portions 24 and 25; the

height (vertical thickness) of the cylindrical portion l5 of the plug is substantially greater than that of the cylindrical portion 25 of the bushing, so that the cylindrical portion l5 of the plug projects below the bushing; and the inturned top of the metal glider is located a substantial distance below the bottom of the bushing so that a substantial depth of the cylindrical portion l5 of the plug is interposed between the bottom of the bushing and the top of the glider.

It will also be observed of the embodiments of Figs. 3, 3A and 5 that the bushing is formed separately from the hollow bottom or leg and is secured thereto in any preferred or desired manner such as by welding, and that in this embodi-' ment the rubber plug can be associated with the bushing either before or after this welding operation; and of the embodiment of Fig. 4 that the bushing is formed integrally from the hollow bottom of the furniture leg so that the assembly of the parts requires only the insertion of the plug into the bushing.

I claim:

1. A cushion slide for a tubular furniture leg, comprising a plate having a central circular opening and secured peripherally to the tubular leg, a bushing having a truncated conical portion and a cylindrical portion adjacent said central opening of the plate, and a rubber plug having a cylindrical portion of a diametric dimension to be receivable in the cylindrical opening of the said plate and bushing, and a cone head recessed at its under end to form an annular shoulder, the diametric dimension at said wider end of the cone head of the rubber plug being greater than the diameter of the tip end of the tapered bushing, said cone head being compressed in forced insertion through the tapered bushing, its said recessed annular shoulder snapping into overlying abutment with the tip edge of the tapered bushing to prevent withdrawal of the rubber plug.

2. A cushion slide for a tubular furniture leg, comprising a plate having a central circular opening and formed integrally with the wall of the tubular leg and shaped to provide a bushing having a truncated conical portion and a cylindrical portion adjacent'said central opening, and a rubber plug having a cylindrical portion of a diametric dimension to be receivable in the cylindrical opening of the said plate andbushing, and a cone head recessed at its under end to form an annular shoulder, the diametric dimension at said wider end of the cone head of the rubber plug being greater than the diameter of the tip end of the tapered bushing, said cone head being compressed in forced insertion through the tapered bushing, its said recessed annular shoulder snapping into overlying abutment with the tip edge of the tapered bushing to prevent withdrawal of the rubber plug. I

3. A cushion slide for a tubular furniture leg, comprising a bushing having a truncated conical portion and a cylindrical portion and secured within the hollow of the tubular leg, and a rubber plug having a cylindrical portion of a diametric dimension to be receivable in the cylindrical opening of said bushing, and a cone head recessed at its under end to form an annular shoulder, the diametric dimension at said wider end of the cone head of the rubber plug being greater than the diameter of the tip end of the tapered bushing, said cone head being compressed in forced insertion through the tapered bushing, its said recessed annular shoulder snapping into overlying abutment with the tip edge of the tapered bushing to prevent withdrawal of the rubber plug.

4. A cushion slide for a tubular furniture leg, comprising a bushing having a truncated conical portion and a cylindrical portion, and a rubber plug having a cylindrical portion of a diametric dimension to be receivable in the cylindrical opening of the said bushing, and a cone head recessed at its under end to form an annular shoulder, the diametric dimension at said wider end of the cone head of the rubber plug being greater than the diameter of the tip end of the tapered bushing, said cone head being compressed in forced insertion through the tapered bushing, its said recessed annular shoulder snapping into overlying abutment with the tip edge of the tapered bushing to prevent withdrawal of the rubber plug.

5. The cushion slide according to claim 4 wherein a sharp internal corner is formed at the juncture between said cylindrical portion and said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,915,249 Jorgensen June 20, 1933 2,155,829 Herold Apr. 25, 1939 

